Laptop Repair: Getting the Picture Fixed

Prime computer performance, especially from the GPUs (graphics processing unit), is very important for the industry of picture processing, such as photo or video editing. People use software like Photoshop or Final Cut Pro to render graphic designs and piece together entire documentaries. Individuals are cropping or resizing photos for sharing, compiling collages of images, all done on their personal laptops.

Processing Pictures on the Laptop

Programs like Photoshop or Final Cut or any other image processor require a lot of power from the GPU. Advances in chip size design and heat dissipation help devices such as laptops and even smartphones garner enough power to accomplish almost anything. Even so, in devices such as laptops and compact systems with unibody style motherboards and other parts, one problem still persists. Because of heat cycles and heavy loads, GPUs and graphics cards effectively "burn out", leading to the need for some laptop repair. 

What Is Graphic Card “Burn Out”?

What this means is the solder balls and points that hold the actual processing unit to the circuit board break free or become brittle and lose conductivity. A computer suddenly will go from working fine to not producing any image. In a desktop computer or workstation, a burned out graphics card can be replaced relatively easily. In a laptop, where the chip is built in to the motherboard, the cost of replacing the whole motherboard turn a simple GPU failure into a “totaled” computer. There is a solution though, and this technique is called the GPU Reflow.

GPU Reflow

Reflowing a GPU is a process of actually repairing the native chip and processor circuitry, instead of simply replacing the whole system. Reflows can be done on any type of GPU, but the cost of the labor of a technician compared to the relatively low prices of a new desktop PCI card often leads computer owners to replace a broken machine instead of repairing it. So this fix usually stays in the laptop department.

To perform this repair, a technician isolates the GPU on the circuit board, after removing the entire infrastructure from the laptop chassis. The chip is cleaned and any material that is not a part of the circuitry is removed. The technician will then use tin foil to create a heat shield around all components other than the actual GPU top surface.

The repair is done by using a heat gun to force the solder inside and under the chip to "reflow." After a measurement is taken to determine how long and at what distance the heat gun should be used in order to properly melt a sample of solder, the technician will position the heat gun over the chip for the proper amount of time, based on the previous sample. When solder melts it likes to flow in channels set up to meld with the metal compound. Like water droplets flowing and connecting with others to create little channels, molten solder moves to connect with more solder or other contact points that chemically bond with the metal.

In essence, this reflowing simply refurbishes the contacts of the solder points to the chip. Once the chip cools, thermal paste is applied and the component is reinstalled and tested. There are caveats to this repair, namely that it cannot be guaranteed for any specific amount of time and that successful results vary. One should seek this repair after an assessment from an experienced technician, and only once the computer is deemed a potential candidate.

GPU reflows are not a permanent fix, as often the same heat issues will simply undo the repair. But it beats the cost of a new motherboard or logic board. And when time is crucial it can prove to be the best solution. No parts are needed, and this repair can often be completed same day, and the computer owner can get back to work.

If you are having a problem with the image function of your laptop and want your pictures to show perfectly on the monitor, consult an expert and find out if this solution will work for you.